New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-01-12
RAISING SHEEP WITHOUT 4 ARE.

RAISING SHEEP Wi1houT 8 Arr
Scenes on the Islands That Lie on til
Coast of California Opposite
Santa barbara.
A correspondent Of The NeW YorA
commercial 4 duertise,, writing from
the islands opposite Santa Barbara.
says: No human being now lives on
either San Nicholas or Anacapa, but
Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa are both
inhabited by few men, who utilize
the islands for the pasturage Of large
bands of sheep. Here, by the way, [
will remark that in California every
: collection of animals of any sort is
i called a band A herd of cattle, a
! flock OF sheep, a party of Indians
thing and everything that walks when
seen in numbers is known as band,
and it is regarded as a sure sign of be-
| ing ''tenderfeot'' to use any other
term.
Some years ago il was ascertained
that the two islands last mentioned of
|
OF sheep, and consequently they were
stocked with these animals from, the
mainland. Santa Cruz island is under
the control of a company, while Santa
Rosa is owned by one man. There are
! two reasons why these islands are IA
vorable for sheep. On the mainland,
in all directions. grows a weed which
| bears very large burrs, and the sheep,
in feeding around, always get numbers
Of these in their wool, and SO reduce
its market value greatly. On the is
land none of these burrs are found On
the mainland, 600, it is necessary to
have herders employed to see that the
sheep do not wander away, and also
| that wild animals do not deVour the
young and defenseless lambs. On the
islands there are no wild animals, and
the sheep need no herders, and are al
lowed to wander at will. During the
greater part of the year no more than
| half dozen men are needed on either
island, but when shearing time comes
which is once every six months-there
is lively scene for while. Large
parties of shearers are brought over
from the mainland, and they must be
lers of the shears. Many horses are
kept on the islands, and as soon as the
shearers arrive these are caught and
saddled, and all hands go to one end of
the island, which is quite hilly, and
partly covered with husk and timber,
The shearing corrals are about the cen
ter of the island, and the men form a
line at some distance from each other,
reaching from shore to shore and so
sweep it clear of the sheep, driving all
before them to the corrals. This pro-
cess is repeated from the other end of
the island, and in this way few of the
animals escape the roundup
The scene in the shearing Sheds is an
interesting one to the observer who has
never been present at such a spectacle
in California. Fifty or sixty sWarthy
natives or half breed Indians, stripped
to the waist, are gathered in long shed
open at the sides. On one side is the
corral where the sheep are waiting to
be deprived of their coats, which in
this climate grows so rapidly that the
clipping process takes place twice
year. Each man goes into the corral,
which has numerous gates, and, Selling
a sheep by the hind-legs. drags it on
the shearing floor under ohe shed.
Here it is thrown on it's back, and the
shearer holds it motionless with his,
legs while the rapid snip, snip Of the
shears cuts the wool from the animal s.
body. Walking up and down the
length Of the shed is boy with can
full of a peculiar kind of composition,
which he is ready at call to apply to.
wounds unavoidably made by the
shears upon the animals which are.
more than usually obstreperous. 1t is
the mark of a good shearer never to
send blood-stained fleece to the pack
ing-bench, but sometimes the sheep
struggle so that it is almost impossible
to avoid wounding them. Each man,
as he. finishes taking the fleece from
the sheep, runs with full speed with it
to the other end of the shed, where he
hands it to the packer, while tally
keeper gives the shearer a brass check
representing the value of cents, and
at the same time enters record upon
a book opposite the shearer's name
The celebrity with which an accom-
plished shearer will remove heavy
fleece is remarkable, and there is al
ways more OF less rivalry between the
men on such occasions. Whenever Wis
itors are present the swiftest men make
a point of getting up a match, and I
have held the watch and seen fleece
removed in just four minutes and TWEEN
/ ty seconds from the time the sheep left
the corral. This, of conrse, is rapid
work. the average time being from
eight to twelve minutes per sheep. The
standard price is 5 cents head, and.
as the men are given their board, it is
seen that very fair wages may be made.
The work issyery unpleasant, however.
The dust and scent of the sheep rises
in clouds and is perfectly sitting, while
the effort to hold the animal in position
and at the same time remove the wool
without injuring it is very trying, both
to the muscle and the patience.
After the days work is done the men
/ gather in their nllartars and with